Pharmercy Appreciation Week 2017
by Kumoma
Summary: This is a collection of short stories for Pharmercy Appreciation Week, each following the theme established for each of the seven days.
1. Day One: Valentine's Day

_Happy Valentine's Day and Happy Pharmercy Appreciation Week, everyone! I can't say how happy I am to be taking part in this event. I've been on pins and needles waiting for today to finally roll around so I could get started posting for it. This one ran on a bit longer than I intended; I'm going to do my best to keep these stories short (there are seven of them to be written inside of a week, after all). This one is from an earlier and unexplored point in the other story I've been writing, Flight of Fancy. I still haven't decided whether or not I'll do something similar for any of the others, but I hope you'll still like them! Now, on to the theme for day one: Valentine's Day!_

 _Damn. Six fifteen._

Fareeha sat on her bunk in the barracks and stared at a clock on the far wall as though it had offended her. She shifted restlessly on her bunk, feeling as though she was ready to burst out of her own skin. Her eyes darted back and forth between the clock and an automated response from a delivery service displayed on her phone next to her. She had been reading it every few minutes for most of the day and, largely out of habit at this point, she found herself reading it again.

"Thank you once again for your purchase! Your order shipped and has been delivered to Doctor Angela Ziegler successfully. We look forward to your business in the future!"

 _Yes...it definitely arrived._

Finding herself with nothing to do again, Fareeha's eyes automatically turned back to the clock as her mind drifted to the thoughts that she had been trying to avoid for most of the day. Several weeks earlier, she had placed an order to have a dozen red roses and twice as many of the most expensive Swiss chocolates that she could find sent to Angela for Valentine's Day. Fareeha never had any interest in such things, but she knew that Angela never missed an excuse to celebrate something. More than that, she loved chocolate in a way that reminded her of the way she'd often heard new recruits talking after they'd completed basic training. It was a perfect excuse to do something for her that it was clear that she loved. More than that, she'd arranged for the delivery to arrive in the early afternoon, no doubt arriving just before whatever event she was holding for the occasion. She knew that, as much as Angela seemed to dislike most of the people that showed up at them, social protocol kept her from putting an end to them entirely. Angela always made such a huge deal out of her gifts, it was surely a way to brighten what would otherwise be a dreary day of having people she didn't care for ruining a day that she loved. Again, it was as good an excuse as any to go through with sending the gift. She had even paid extra to ensure that the delivery would be placed in her hands on time.

The problem, however, was the fact that Fareeha hadn't heard anything from Angela all day. Angela had definitely gotten the delivery and it was entirely unlike her to not call immediately and make a fuss over it all. It embarrassed Fareeha to no end, but despite her protesting, she loved it as much as any time that Angela made a fuss over her. More than that, she loved knowing that she'd made Angela happy. Their friendship had always seemed a little one-sided in her opinion; Angela had the more people around the world clamoring for her attention than it was comfortable to think about, but for some reason she seemed to most often choose to spend her time talking to her, a soldier who could think of nothing she had to offer that people with far more impressive titles and social standings couldn't match. Fareeha hated to admit it, but the thought was painful. She was just grateful that Angela had found a reason to come to the decision and every letter and enthusiastic call of thanks for even the simplest of gifts and kind gestures was confirmation that this hadn't changed. To get no response after sending a special one was troubling, to say the very least.

"I'd say you look like you're about to be deployed, but you don't look happy enough for that."

Fareeha jumped in surprise when Saleh spoke from somewhere just out of her field of vision. "What? I...it's nothing."

Saleh ignored her and sat down next to her on her bunk. "It looks more like something than nothing." After a brief pause, he added, "or perhaps some _one_."

Fareeha turned to face him so quickly that she felt a sharp pain in her neck, but by the time she had him in sight, he already had her phone in hand. Seeing that he had already figured out what was on her mind, she didn't bother trying to hide it from him anymore. "I...just thought that...well, today..."

Saleh laughed out loud, again surprising Fareeha. "Well, I should hope so! I'd hate to think of how disappointed she'd be to not get anything from you today."

Feeling sadness stabbing at her somewhere in her chest, Fareeha instinctively turned away before her expression could be seen. "I...believe it may have been for the best. I don't believe she cared for it."

Much to Fareeha's surprise, Saleh's smile had yet to fade. "What makes you so sure?"

"I think that I may have gone too far...I may have suggested too much with this gift. What was I thinking, sending her roses? Chocolate is harmless enough, but _roses_?"

"That doesn't sound like a mistake to me. If you want to move forward, your first step is making your intent clear."

Fareeha couldn't help smiling a little in spite of her fear. As per usual, she found it comforting that he was right. "That sounds like it came out of a textbook. Where did you hear that?"

"You, actually. You were talking about how to acquire targets and capture strategic points, but I would say it still applies. Love and war aren't too far off from each other, after all."

Again, Fareeha found herself turning away to hide her expression, though she was forcing back a smile this time. "I don't think it's as easy as charging forward and winning, but I suppose you have a point. Thank you for...bringing it to my attention."

Saleh was now smiling more widely than ever, giving Fareeha the feeling that she was missing something. "Well, that was really just something I decided to do once I got here. I'm actually here to deliver a message...and enjoy these rare opportunities when I get to tell you that you're wrong. It's not often that I get to do it twice in the same day, after all."

Before Fareeha could ask what he was talking about, she heard a commotion coming from the hallway that seemed to be getting closer. As she turned to get a better look at the doorway and make sense of it, Saleh spoke as he stood and made his way out of the room. "By the way, the message was supposed to tell you to come outside, but it looks like she's as impatient as you are."

Fareeha raised an eyebrow in confusion as she watched Saleh disappear through the doorway. As she was standing to follow him and demand an explanation, she froze in place as she saw Angela, who was waiting for Saleh to pass before she entered. Fareeha held her breath as she took in the sight. A golden qipao hugged her curves as it fell to just above her ankles, showing off a pair of matching heels that seemed to both restart Fareeha's heart and make it beat as though it were making up for lost time. She was holding a large box of chocolates and a bouquet of red roses that was only rivaled by the color making its way to her face.

"You...are staring, Fareeha. Do you not like my dress?"

Fareeha could only blink as she attempted to process the situation. Several seconds passed before her mind caught up and she forced out a response. "I—I'm sorry, doctor. I'm just...surprised to see you here."

Angela, now wearing a scowl that Fareeha knew better than to take seriously, stormed across the room and tapped her on the head with the box of chocolates. " _We discussed this!_ "

Fareeha laughed cheerfully. In the back of her mind, the sound was odd when she remembered how heavy her heart had been only a minute earlier. She wondered for a moment how anyone could have such an effect on her, but the significance of all other thoughts paled in comparison to the present.

"I...I'm sorry, Angela. I'll try to remember."

Angela's scowl disappeared immediately, replaced with a smile that made Fareeha wonder if she wasn't glowing. "See that you do. Fortunately, you have the rest of the evening to practice."

Fareeha blinked in confusion. "Wait...what?"

"Your present, of course. After sending me something so nice, it is only reasonable that I would give you something to thank you properly. It starts with dinner. I have...made arrangements. Your superiors were very understanding and agreed to give you the evening off."

"You...you _what_?" Lost for words, Fareeha could only stare at Angela as she wondered what strings she must have pulled to manage such a thing. As she stared blankly, she noticed for the first time the chocolates and roses that Angela was holding as she was carefully placing them on the bunk.

"Wait...if you're here, then how did you get those?"

"I spoke with the courier service after they contacted me to ensure that they would make the delivery. I told them I was about to board a flight and had them meet me at the airport."

"But...why would you come all the way here to thank me if you didn't know I was sending you something until you were already getting on the plane?"

Angela smiled and gave an exasperated sigh. For the second time in only a few minutes, Fareeha had the feeling that she was missing something. Angela seemed to be thinking for a moment before she responded. "I simply had faith. With you, my faith is always rewarded."

Lost for words, Fareeha simply smiled and let the matter drop. She looked around the room for fear that she would start staring again and was relieved when Angela spoke and gave her an excuse to look her way again.

"Where is your chocolate? You _do_ have your chocolate, do you not? It is Valentine's Day, after all."

Fareeha worked for a moment to tear her thoughts away from Angela's compliment and attempt to remember having made such a promise. Another playful scowl from Angela jogged her memory and led her to run to her foot locker and retrieve a large bar of chocolate wrapped in silver foil and dark brown paper. She had little interest in chocolate, but she had promised simply because Angela thought it was important enough to ask it of her. She showed the bar of chocolate to Angela and was startled to see that she was glaring at it as though it had somehow offended her.

" _That_ is your chocolate?"

"What's wrong with it? It's chocolate."

Angela's nose twitched in response. "That is what some less than reputable retailers would no doubt have you believe, I am sure." She bent forward to pick up the box of chocolates that she had placed on the bunk and opened the package. She looked somewhat excited as she pulled one of the chocolates out and held it to Fareeha's lips.

 _Well...I suppose I shouldn't keep her waiting._

Fareeha parted her lips and Angela gently pushed the chocolate forward, though she let her fingers linger as Fareeha closed her mouth. She smiled sweetly, her cheeks now a bright red. "There...see? _This_ is chocolate."

Fareeha couldn't say that she knew one piece of chocolate from another, but she was certain that it was the best thing that she had ever tasted. Before she could finish chewing and voice the opinion, a soldier came through while reading a memo.

"Captain Amari? Do you have a minute? I need your approval for—oh!"

The soldier stopped cold as she looked up from her memo and noticed Angela for the first time. She looked back and forth between her with her arm still raised and Fareeha, who was still chewing. Before she could apologize for interrupting, Angela took Fareeha by the hand.

"My apologies, but Fareeha is _my_ date tonight."

As the soldier nodded and quickly backed out of the room, Fareeha noticed that Angela had yet to release her hand. As she felt slender fingers lacing themselves between her own, she quickly came to conclusion that this was for the best.


	2. Day Two: Heroes

_I hate starting off with apologies as much as I hate the fact that they're necessary, but I really am sorry to have taken so long in getting this series done. Life has been getting complicated and likely will for at least the next month or so, but I fully intend to keep hammering away at my keyboard until I'm all caught up. That includes finishing what I've started, which means that I fully intend to finish all of the Pharmercy Appreciation Week entries that I planned to do. It may take me a while, but I'm not done until all seven of them have been posted._

Fareeha smiled grimly down on the battlefield below her, taking a moment to appreciate the smoking husks of twisted metal that she'd left in place of the attacking armored vehicles that had been there moments earlier. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she registered the sound of a sudden uproar of cheering coming from people hiding behind the walls of the base that had been the vehicles' destination. Though she was pleased that she had been able to help them—that had been her aim when she'd volunteered for the mission, after all—her current thoughts were of someone else entirely.

"Fareeha! Ten o'clock high!"

Fareeha turned her head and felt a violent churning in her stomach as Angela's voice tore through her thoughts. It was only habit and training that broke through her panic and led her to level her weapon at the air cavalry bearing down on her with Angela trapped between them. She had been looking down on the battlefield from her position some several hundred meters above only a fraction of a second earlier, ignoring her training and orders entirely in prioritizing her targets. For what couldn't have been more than a few seconds, she had been unloading rockets into anti-air artillery on the ground despite her orders to leave it to ground units and protect them by keeping her focus on the enemy's air cavalry flying toward the base that they were desperately trying to defend. She didn't bother trying to find an excuse for her actions and had quickly decided to save it for her report later; she knew all too well that her decision had far more to do with the grunt of pain that she'd just heard Angela attempt to stifle. Out of the corner of her eye, she could just barely see a trail of crimson running down from a small crack in the Valkyrie armor's midsection. Logic told her that it was of little concern and, despite the large caliber of the round that had struck her, it was only a glancing blow. More than that, she had seen Angela bounce back from far worse. Though she could have easily determined all of this, there was no room in Fareeha's head for anything for anything other than fear and wrath. She was seeing red when she cast her eyes down on their attackers and, in seconds, she had unleashed nearly half of her complement of rockets on them.

With the immediate threat neutralized, however, it was clear to her that she had made a grave error in judgement. It had taken only seconds to lock onto her targets and destroy them, but it had been just enough time for the enemy in the air to come into range to attack. While both she and Angela could have easily avoided the minimal fire coming from the ground with her own allies occupying them, they were alone in the sky. The enemy would have to get past them to come within firing distance of the base, which was much of the reason that she was supposed to be prioritizing them in the first place. The damage she could do there would be far more effective for their mission and, more than that, it would buy precious seconds for them to slowly retreat and draw the enemy within range of the base's air defenses. As if to place emphasis on her mistake, she heard gunfire and, moments later, felt a bullet glancing off of one of her pauldrons. Before she could wonder if the damage was significant, she heard two more rounds nearly find their marks, one of them glancing off of Angela's halo and another tearing through one of her wings.

 _Not her. Not ever._

Everything that happened afterward passed by in a blur of disjointed images. Time seemed to be unable to decide where to place Fareeha; she was reaching out for Angela, then seemingly at the same time, she was pulling herself between Angela and the hail of gunfire. Her visor's HUD was alerting her to multiple impacts on her armor, then a warning that her full complement of rockets had been exhausted at the same time that sudden warmth and a sharp pain seemed to be filling her entire body. Her visor's HUD switched off as it lost power, but she knew just from how quickly the horizon was rising that she was losing altitude. Above her, the sky seemed to be on fire. Her thoughts were hazy as she tried to activate her emergency power reserves, but her body was no more responsive than her armor. They both felt all but entirely lifeless. She was falling and unable to do as much as brace herself for impact. When the impact didn't come, she could only assume that she simply couldn't feel it anymore. The last thing she saw before her vision went dark was Angela looking at the fire in the sky and smiling.

In her next conscious thought, Fareeha's mind was floating peacefully, as though in a dream. She wasn't sure how much time had passed but, now that she was free of pain, she wasn't particularly worried about it anymore. The only thing that she could call to mind was that final sight of Angela's smile. As always, the thought pushed all others aside. Even thoughts of her own current state paled in significance.

 _So this is it. I always wondered how it would end. Not much of a surprise, honestly. Besides, if this is eternity, I must have lived a good life. More than that, even if this had been bad, it would have been worth it._

Fareeha was at peace...nearly. Her vision of Angela was becoming increasingly difficult to focus on because of an odd beeping sound that was steadily becoming louder. As with anything that interrupted her thoughts of Angela, she was quickly becoming infuriated.

 _What in the hell is that noise?_

A new sense of being slowly took shape in Fareeha's mind as she found her senses beginning to return to her. Her body was still largely numb and she couldn't move much, but she was certain that it was still there. She wasn't sure what she was lying on, but she was sure that something was supporting her. Strangely, something also seemed to be holding her down. _So I'm...still here?_ She tried to force her eyes open and immediately regretted it when the flood of light into them caused her to shut them tight again. After taking a moment to recover from the shock and wonder if she was more annoyed or relieved, she slowly made another attempt. It took time, but the world around her began to take shape and come into focus. She could make out bright lights set into a stark white ceiling and, around her, what looked like a rather depressing hotel room. She was in a bed and could clearly make out her body underneath thick, white sheets. Several wires were leading from her body to machines on her left that she could only assume were monitoring her health, making her decidedly less annoyed that they were continuing to make noise. She barely had time to breathe a sigh of relief at the sight before she realized what was weighing her down; someone dressed in stained operating room scrubs was sitting on a stool next to her bed on her right and sleeping on her chest. Though the face was turned away from her, a head of blonde hair made it easy to guess who it was and caused Fareeha's heart to stutter.

"It makes it worth getting shot out of the sky, doesn't it?"

Fareeha jumped and turned to attempt to identify the source of the voice despite the fact that it was nearly as familiar as her own. Saleh was sitting in a plush chair in a corner on the opposite side of the room with a smug smile on his face that disappeared as Fareeha winced; the sudden movement had sent a wave of pain through her entire body.

"Careful! Those painkillers can only do so much for you. Besides, it took everything that she had to put you back together and I don't think that you should try to squeeze two miracles out of her this week."

Though Fareeha wanted to respond with some playful ribbing of her own, the distraction caused by the sudden pain drew her attention long enough to take note of Saleh's choice of words. "This week? What...what are you talking about?"

"You've been out cold for a couple of days now. Nobody has wanted to say it, but...it wasn't looking good for a while. She made me promise that I wouldn't let anyone know when you woke up; people are going to descend on this room like locusts when they find out that you managed to pull through."

"What? Why?"

Saleh laughed to himself and shook his head. "I know that you're not one for believing this, but you're both kind of a big deal...and even moreso after that stunt you pulled out there."

Fareeha struggled to remember exactly what had happened, but it was all a blur. "Stunt? What are you talking about?"

Saleh couldn't help laughing again. "It's that thing that you always call 'just doing your job.' You hardly left anything for us to do, clearing out half of the ground units and almost all of their air support by yourself. We were getting flanked, so there was no way that we would've been able to handle it ourselves. You bought us the time that we needed and saved more than a few lives out there."

Though her memory had been jogged somewhat, it was still like a picture that refused to come into focus. The only thing that she could clearly remember was seeing Angela being shot. The memory filled her with dread that gave way to panic as she looked down at the figure sleeping on her chest. "What about Angela? Is she alright?"

Saleh raised an eyebrow. "So it's Angela now, is it? Not doctor?" When Fareeha didn't respond and continued staring at the sleeping figure on her chest, he gave up on trying to lighten the mood and instead decided to waste no more time easing her concerns. "She's fine. There was nothing wrong with her that a few spare parts for her armor couldn't fix, thanks to you. We saw plenty of blood on her, but we're pretty sure that was yours. She refused treatment, so she couldn't have been hurt too badly. All she cared about was getting you put back together."

"That...sounds like something that she would do." Fareeha unconsciously stroked Angela's hair as she wondered just how much damage she had taken herself that she was ignoring. On more than one occasion, Fareeha had seen Angela's wounds seal themselves shut in front of her eyes. Neither the strange ability nor Angela's assurances were ever enough to keep Fareeha from worrying, however. The only thing that kept her from demanding answers as per usual was the fact that she didn't want to wake her.

"She hasn't left your side since she brought you in. She probably wouldn't have eaten if we hadn't brought something in here to her. She didn't even manage to fall asleep until you started to look stable."

Feeling a stinging in her eyes, Fareeha quickly searched for words to speak just to keep the conversation moving. "That...also sounds like something that she would do."

Saleh's expression suddenly turned surprisingly serious. "By the way, the major wants to talk to you as soon as you're able. He has some...concerns."

Fareeha groaned and leaned back into her pillow, still stroking Angela's hair. "Speaking of things that sound as though they're to be expected..."

"You disobeyed orders. It isn't as though it's unusual for you to do your own thing, but nobody ever says anything because there's always a reason for it...until now. Civilians and soldiers alike see a celebrity that was being a hero, but the major saw you showing off. That's not like you at all. He's looking for some kind of an explanation."

Fareeha sighed as she stared up at the ceiling. "I'll have to find a way to make it sound good later. I think I should keep playing dead for a while until I can think of something."

Though Fareeha hoped that the response would be enough to settle the matter, Saleh looked even more concerned for it. "That doesn't seem like you, either. What happened out there?"

Fareeha's memory was still hazy, but the reason for her actions was clear to her as she continued to gently run her fingertips through Angela's hair. She had simply made a decision in the heat of battle as she always did; the difference was in her priorities. As with every other mission she'd ever taken on, she was there to save lives. Her decisions prioritized protecting those lives, even at the cost of her own. This time, however, the life that was most precious to her wasn't one of the ones that she had been sent there to defend. Her superiors wouldn't be understanding of this, but she hoped against hope that Saleh would.

"I saw a change in the situation and reacted. We came under fire and..." Fareeha's voice trailed off as the thought of what had narrowly been avoided caused her stomach to churn violently. Her attempt to frame her response properly fell apart immediately and she forced out the only ones that would come to mind as she looked down at Angela, feeling uneasy about how relieved she was to see her breathing deeply and sleeping peacefully. "I...I couldn't just stand by and...I couldn't. Not her. Anybody else, but not her."

Fareeha forced herself to not breathe a sigh of relief when, for the first time in what seemed like an eternity, Saleh smiled again. "Yeah...I think I get it. The major isn't going to like it, but I get it. For whatever it's worth, I'd have done the same thing."

Though relieved, Fareeha couldn't ignore that there was more to say on the matter. "I was there to do a job and I put the success of the mission in jeopardy because of my personal feelings. I don't mean to say that I did the right thing; I only mean to say that I don't regret my actions in the least."

Saleh opened his mouth to respond, but seemed to change his mind about it when Angela began to stir. He quickly stood and made his way to the door. "I get that, too...but I'm still inclined to believe that you did the right thing. You have a good thing here and the world is full of ways to separate you from it. If you're not ready to do what it takes to hold on to it, you may as well give it up now. I'd suggest phrasing it a bit better than that when you make your report to the major, though."

Fareeha still wasn't feeling entirely free of guilt as she watched Saleh walk through the hospital room door and close it behind him, but she couldn't deny that she felt better about the matter. Just as she began wondering how to frame her report to the major, her thoughts were immediately derailed when Angela began to sit up straight. Looking into her sleepy blue eyes, Fareeha's concerns about the major and all else outside of her room faded from her thoughts.


End file.
